Minnesota, county records

Clay County, Minnesota Public Records

Find the right office in Clay County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested Clay County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

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Showing 5 official sources

Official

County court

Minnesota Federal Cases

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota keeps bankruptcy dockets and claims searchable through PACER, accepts electronic proofs of claim and runs a free bankruptcy advice clinic.

mnb.uscourts.gov
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Official

Property records

Minnesota Property Records

The Minnesota Department of Revenue publishes property tax data by year and location, including sales ratios and market values. Parcel records and tax statements come from each Minnesota county.

revenue.state.mn.us
Open official site Minnesota Property Records

Local record guide

About public records in Clay County

County profile

Clay County at a glance

State
Minnesota
County seat
Moorhead
Population
65,318
Area
1,045 sq mi
Founded
1862
Cities and towns
11

Clay County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Clay County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of Clay County.

Police Departments. In addition to Clay County Sheriff's Office, several municipal police departments operate within Clay County.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Clay County Sheriff's Office, located at 807 11th Street North, Moorhead, MN 56560, provides law enforcement services throughout Clay County's unincorporated areas and contract policing to some municipalities. Clay County Detention Center, operated by the Sheriff's Office, houses inmates awaiting trial and those serving sentences under one year. Inmate rosters and booking information can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office website or by calling the jail directly for Municipal police departments operate independently in Moorhead (the largest department in Clay County), Hawley, Barnesville, and Dilworth, each maintaining their own records systems.

Criminal Records. For an authoritative source, see Case Search - Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) .

Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Clay County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Clay County

Old mine sites
11
Sites with no status in the records
1
Past producers, now closed
10
Prospects and occurrences, never worked
1
Producing when recorded
63
Processing plants, not workings
4
Main minerals
construction sand and gravel; Nickel
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
180
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
gravel pit, sand pit
Maps surveyed
1964 to 1981

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 79 mine sites inside the county: 10 past producers, now closed, 1 prospect or occurrence that was never worked, 63 sites producing when the record was made, 4 processing plants, which are not workings, 1 site with no status in the record; the old survey maps add 180 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; Nickel.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. Minnesota has no coal AML program; its underground mines are iron mines on the Mesabi Range.

Moorhead Hawley Barnesville Glyndon Ulen Georgetown Felton Baker Hitterdal N 20 miles
Clay County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. The small open circles with a name are the towns and the pale shapes around the edge are the neighbouring counties, both from the Census Bureau. Hover a dot for its name.
Minnesota mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Clay County (79 shown, 180 unnamed on the map)

Minnesota abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Labor Department file

Wage and hour cases in Clay County

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 24 investigations in Clay County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $52,176 in back wages agreed for 75 workers. The county is the one the Census Bureau puts each employer's ZIP code in. Snapshot of April 22, 2026; a case here is a finding by the Division, not a court judgment.

Investigations closed
24
Back wages agreed
$52,176
Workers due back wages
75
Civil money penalties
$12,014
Employers on the record
20
EmployerCityCasesBack wagesWorkers
JT Lawn Service, LLCMoorhead1$37,83143
JT Lawn Services and Landscaping Inc.Moorhead1$5,4401
Loopy's Inc.Moorhead1$5,00211
Circle of Life Home Care Anishinaabe, LLCMoorhead1$2,6018
Farmers Cooperative Oil Co.Barnesville1$6439
Speak Easy Minnesota, LLC.Moorhead1$4411
Anderson Franchise Investments, Inc.Moorhead1$2182
Askegaard FarmsMoorhead1$00
Oberg Farms Partnership LLPMoorhead1$00
Lynn Brakke Organic FarmsMoorhead1$00
Rodney SchmidtMoorhead1$00
Valen Farms, Inc.Sabin1$00
Sunny Brook PartnershipSabin1$00
Horsley Specialties, IncMoorhead1$00
Thai Orchid L.L.C.Moorhead1$00
BNSF Railway CorporationDilworth1$00
Goslings Custom Carpentry LLCMoorhead1$00
RLWRHC, Inc.Moorhead1$00
North Country Contracting LLCMoorhead1$00
Taracon Precast Services LLCHawley1$00

Every employer on the Clay County record, by back wages agreed; 3 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record in this row. The Minnesota wage theft records page ranks the whole state.

Straight answers

Clay County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Clay County, Minnesota?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Clay County Sheriff or a city police department in Clay County. Ask that agency for its record. Under Minnesota Statutes 13.82, subdivision 26, a booking photograph is public data; a law enforcement agency may withhold it for a time if access would hurt an active investigation.

How do I get a criminal background check in Clay County, Minnesota?

The Minnesota criminal history record comes from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). Free name search of public criminal history (convictions public for 15 years after the sentence ends) online; for your own full record, send the BCA a notarized personal request form by mail or in person. Fee: Free online public search; $8.00 for a Minnesota only check on yourself, plus $10.00 per card for fingerprinting service.

How can I look up sex offenders in Clay County, Minnesota?

Search the Minnesota Department of Corrections Public Registrant Search, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Clay County, Minnesota?

Register with the county auditor or through the Minnesota Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. Same day registration: yes, in person at your polling place on Election Day with proof of residence; registration ahead of time closes 20 days before a regularly scheduled election (Minnesota Statutes 201.061).

How do I look up property records in Clay County, Minnesota?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Clay County are kept by the Clay County recorder. Property values are set by the county assessor, and tax bills come from the county treasurer. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Clay County, Minnesota?

Certified birth and death certificates for Minnesota come from the Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records. Any Minnesota county vital records office sells birth and death certificates, and for fastest service MDH points you to a county office, where most of the time you get the order while you wait. In person at a county vital records office, or from MDH by mail to PO Box 64499, St. Paul, MN 55164-0499 or by fax to 866-416-1357 (credit card only) with the application form. Fee: $26 for a birth certificate ($19 for each added copy of the same one); $13 for a death certificate ($6 for each added copy).

How do I find business license records in Clay County, Minnesota?

Business entity filings are searched with the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services. Minnesota DEED says many local governments require licenses for certain kinds of businesses, and in some cases cities and counties require a general business license.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.